Blogging Is Hard

You know when you see a "Quick Meme" that I'm struggling to get something posted.

I think I'm still basking in the glow of the weekend just passed. I won't belabor you with how great it was and how much fun we had. Again. I will say that having fun can be somewhat, shall we say, exhausting. Especially when one is getting on in years.

Now I'm not saying that I'm feeling all elderly. I'm not. What I am saying is that trying to keep up with the younger part of the clan is getting harder as time goes on. And the younger part of the clan has a different view than I as to what constitutes a good time to go out and do stuff.

My viewpoint is that getting up in the morning, lounging about for a while (perhaps firing off a blog post and making the blog rounds) then showering and shaving and dressing for an "off property excursion" is best accomplished before noon. Then one heads out and does stuff.

Now it's important to understand what I mean by an "off property excursion" or OPE. (Enamored as I am with acronyms, I don't feel bad at all inflicting yet another one on you. Sorry.) This does not include a quick trip down to Dunkin' Donuts to grab a coffee or to the grocery store because "we need eggs" or what have you.

No, an OPE is venturing out to public places for an hour or more. Wouldn't do to be wearing the raggedy jeans and that wonderfully comfortable old shirt that the Missus Herself keeps threatening to throw out. No, we have to be somewhat presentable. To my way of thinking, a good time for an OPE is shortly after lunch. On the road by 1300 local, or thereabouts. (That's 1:00 PM for you civvies. Or Mickey's big hand on the twelve, little hand on the one for you commissioned types. Sorry Tuna. Don't take it personally. Nuke, stop looking at me like that. It's all in fun. Right?)

Now there is also a category of OPE which I refer to as the "Formal OPE". No jeans allowed. (I though about abbreviating this as "NJA". I'll restrain myself for the moment. Perhaps I'll institute a "no more than one new acronym per post" policy for the blog. Yes, that would be the NMTONAPP Policy. Maybe I'll stay away from that for now. Let's keep the rules to a minimum for the moment. We're all friends here. Right?)

I know, a rather obscure movie quote.
The quote, not the movie.

Alright, the Formal OPE. No jeans allowed. The Missus Herself will sometimes determine ahead of time that we will be going out and we will be dining out. Dining out at a place where she feels we shouldn't be wearing jeans. (Not restaurant policy mind you, Missus Herself Policy or MHP. Oops, I said I wouldn't do that didn't I?)

So she will make some passing comment as to how crappy my jeans look. "Maybe you should wear those nice khakis I bought you?" - is the typical follow on. I've learned over the years to simply go and put on "those nice khakis" (Or TNK, Damn! Sorry...)

Sometimes however, I also need "The Look" to go change my trousers. We all know what I mean by "The Look", right? It's the expression put on by one member of a couple which tells the other member of the couple,

"Stop being a gigantic idiot and simply do as you're told. 'Kay?"

Or words to that effect.

I see we've diverged a bit, haven't we. Let's get back on track. Shall we?

Yes, the proper time for an OPE. Like I said, for me that would be shortly after lunch. For the younger members of the clan, a good time for an OPE is close to sundown. Rather late in my book, but I have (from time to time) been accused of being a "grumpy old fart" and not at all in tune with the younger generation. So be it. I plead guilty.

So Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons (nights?) we (that being myself, the Missus Herself, the Nuke, the WSO and Little Bit) would pile into the automotive conveyance and head out. Usually head out to go shopping, followed by dinner at a restaurant, then back home to watch a DVD.

As it was considered close enough to my birthday to cut the old man some slack, I was not sent off to "put on those nice khakis I bought you". I was allowed to wear my "nice" jeans. Though I did get The Look after saying "What's wrong with this shirt?" So sartorially speaking I was comfortable. And the daughters bought dinner both Friday and Saturday nights. Very nice dinners I might add. None of this going through the Drive-Thru and hearing "Come on Dad, what do you want? There are other cars behind us." No, actual sit down nice restaurants both nights. For which I didn't have to pay. It being close to my birthday and all.

But (I sensed a digression coming back there) all three evenings we didn't get to bed until sometime after 0200. (2:00 AM, Mickey's big hand, blah, blah, blah...)

Then up again somewhere around nine in the morning. Little Bit being something of an early riser, relatively speaking. (Any time before noon is "early" for me.)

So while the weekend was fun and exciting. A lot of sleep was not in the cards. As the Nuke said, "You can sleep after we leave." She has a point. Thing is though, they've all gone home and I'm back on the road. Haven't had the opportunity to really sleep yet.

So yeah, I'm tired. But it was worth it.

Still and all, when you're tired, blogging is hard.

This post felt much longer than it looks.

Just sayin'...